Vendredi

By Jillian Firnhaber

The mystery of the Toynbee tiles dates back to the late 1980's in Philadelphia where cryptic tiles began appearing across town spouting messages of resurrecting the dead on Jupiter, and conspiracy between the media and the now defunct USSR. Although initially thought to be the work of one man, Philadelphia carpenter James Morasco, Morasco passed away in 2003, after which tiles continued to pop up throughout the Eastern United States and South America.

The New Orleans tile, which lies in the center lane of Canal Street just outside the Ritz Carlton Hotel, references many of the key words from earlier tiles:

HOUSE OF SHADES
THE RESURRECTION
OF TOYNBEE'S IDEA
IN SOCIETY. 2012

[in smaller print]

THE DESTRUCTION OF MEDIA +
ITS THOUSANDS OF FRONTS IN USA

While the cryptic tiles were heavily researched in the 2011 documentary Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles, no conclusive evidence has come to light regarding who installed them, or if it is the work of multiple individuals. Due to their placement in high-traffic areas, many of the tiles have become unreadable, or have been completely destroyed.  The NOLA Defender does not recommend playing chicken with tourist-driven cars, but the Canal Street Tile is likely to meet the same fate, so check it out (safely) if you're in the area.